


Between Me and You (Part 1)

by bluebell08



Series: Between Me and You [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Graphic Description, Romance, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:47:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28027257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebell08/pseuds/bluebell08
Summary: A young kunoichi encounters a mysterious young man in her village and becomes drawn to him. As their paths converge, little did they know that their lives are connected and changes them both forever. [COMPLETE]
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Between Me and You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2052924
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a Sims story I posted on my Tumblr account, meaning the text is originally accompanied by images shot using The Sims 4. So the text for Part 1 are intentionally short. Although, Part 2 will have longer text for each chapter. If you'd like to view the images along with the text, please go to the link below. Thank you and hope you guys will like this story!

[Chapter 1 Story Companion/Images](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/632829968503701504/part-1-chapter-1-i-wish-i-can-be-as-carefree-as)

“I wish I can be as carefree as the clouds.”

A pair of light honey eyes lazily watched the clouds drifting above her. Sachiko Chage rested on the grass, her sketchbook carelessly abandoned on its own beside her. The short strands of her pixie-cut, dark brown hair was softly ruffled by the gentle afternoon wind, and the clouds cast a shade over her petite frame. She had been lounging like this for about an hour now. She was expected to be somewhere right now actually, but she really couldn’t care less. All she wanted was to live her life on her own terms – to be a painter and to travel the world, and not blindly follow orders and be bound to service she didn’t really sign up for.

It wasn’t like she hated shinobi life in general – she hated the circumstances that come with it. She hated the way the shinobi system works. She hated how people lose family members and friends just because of the greed of nations, or the egos of powerful men. But most especially, she hated being born into a shinobi clan most utilized by the nation for its abilities, and however reliable, was barely surviving.

Sachiko barely turned her head to the left, “What do you want now, nii-san?” (nii-san : older brother)

Shortly after, a young man appeared. His brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail and he had a scar across his face. “There you are, little missy. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Or rather, it seems like you have sensed me first.”

“What do you want, Iruka-nii-chan?”

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else right now? Your uncle, Izanagi-san, has been waiting for you for your training for almost an hour already.”

Sachiko didn’t move. “I’m currently enjoying watching clouds too much. Come back again when I’m done.”

Sighing, Iruka sat beside Sachiko. “Are you still not sure about being a shinobi? It’s been 5 years since you’ve been promoted a Chuunin. You should be resolved to live it fully by now.”

Sachiko looked at Iruka. Iruka was her childhood friend, with their families knowing each other even before both were born. Apart from that, they were god-siblings to one another, with Sachiko’s parents assigned as the godparents of Iruka. When Iruka’s parents died, Sachiko’s mother took him in and raised him as her own. Even though Iruka was only 5 months older than her, Sachiko has treated Iruka like the older brother she never had, and Iruka looked out for her like his very own sister.

“You know well how I feel about this.”

“Sachiko-chan, you have a responsibility to your clan and to the village. You can’t just run away from that.” _Yeah, a clan with just two surviving bloodline ability users, Sachiko scoffed._

“This isn’t what I signed up for. I don’t want to live such a violent and restricted life as a shinobi. I want to live my life as a painter, study art and travel the world. I don’t even believe in how the current shinobi system works. And after dad died during the war…”

Iruka’s eyes softened at Sachiko. “I know how you feel, Sachiko. My parents were shinobi too, and both died as well while protecting the village. I know the real reason why you resent the shinobi life is because godfather – your father – died. But this is an inevitable truth for us shinobis. And we should accept that… whether we like it or not…”

Sachiko pursed her lips. After a moment of silence, Iruka stood up and smiled at her. “Well, there’s a very important meeting tomorrow with the chuunins and jounins at 1pm. Don’t be late, okay?” Iruka started heading towards the trees, away from Sachiko. “And you should really go to Izanagi-san right now,” he called out to her.

Sachiko continued to lay in the grass, her gaze still at the clouds. After sensing Iruka’s chakra fading away, she got up, grabbed her sketchbook, and started to head towards the meeting place her uncle, Izanagi, had set.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally a Sims story I posted on my Tumblr account, meaning the text is originally accompanied by images shot using The Sims 4. So the text for Part 1 are intentionally short. Although, Part 2 will have longer text for each chapter. If you'd like to view the images along with the text, please go to the link below. Thank you and hope you guys will like this story!

[Chapter 2 Story Companion/Images](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/632860289181908992/chapter-2-youre-late-sachiko-finally-arrived)

“You’re late.”

Sachiko finally arrived at the training grounds. Her uncle, Izanagi Chage, looked at her disapprovingly. “You should have been here an hour ago.”

“Sorry, I’ve been busy with… things.”

“We’ve wasted time. Let’s start.” Izanagi moved to a defense stance. “We’re going to polish your chakra shield technique today.”

Indeed, he wasted no time. Izanagi explained to Sachiko how to produce a strong, powerful shield made of chakra, and how to best sustain it. He motioned Sachiko to release a strong attack on him. Sachiko obliged, and Izanagi released a large chakra shield, effectively blocking Sachiko’s attack.

The Chage Clan was a very old, small ninja clan that lived in Konoha since the time of it’s foundation. They possessed the bloodline limit of taking and transferring chakra at will to other shinobis. Due to this ability, they had deep, large chakra reserves compared to an ordinary shinobi, and can also absorb massive amounts of chakra. Their ability was so rare that only one member of a generation could possess it. Because of this, the village greatly valued their ability and efficiently used the clan in missions and in defending the village. However, since it was a coveted ability, attempts at kidnapping by other countries have occurred in the past, which made the clan almost go extinct and forced them to live discreetly for a while. It wasn’t only after the Third Shinobi War that the clan was able to live peacefully and freely within the nation.

Izanagi and Sachiko were the members of their generation chosen by fate to inherit the rare ability. Because of this, Izanagi dedicated his life to teaching Sachiko everything she needed to know to control her ability. Apart from controlling it, he also continued to teach her all the techniques that their clan created. Ever since Sachiko’s father died, Izanagi stood as the father figure in her life. Quite strict and a bit overprotective, he made sure to raise Sachiko as a fine shinobi, even if it meant restricting some of her actions. Sachiko quite resented this. However, even with Izanagi’s strict approach in raising her, he cared for Sachiko deeply like his own daughter. It was because of this concern that he had personally asked the Third Hokage to be the jounin leader of Sachiko’s gennin team, so he could closely monitor Sachiko’s training at the start of her shinobi life. Even when she had been promoted to a Chuunin position, Izanagi made sure to see through Sachiko’s training until he was no longer able to do it.

“Focus all of your energy and thinking into creating this massive shield with your chakra. Envision it as though your chakra is solid and impenetrable. Now, I want you try it. Try to block my attack with your shield.”

Izanagi moved his hands to perform the hand seals and released a powerful wind attack towards Sachiko. Sachiko lost no time to waste. She performed the hand seals for the chakra shield, and focused all of her energy and thoughts into making a shield large enough to cover herself and resist the attack. _Just a little more_ , she thought. She focused even harder, pushing against the force of the wind attack. She was delighted to see that it was working, when suddenly cracks appeared on the surface of her shield. The cracks continued to run throughout her shield, and the wind attack that Izanagi produced made it’s way through it, causing Sachiko to fall on her back.

“You are not focusing hard enough! Do it again.” Sachiko stood up and performed the same hand seals, releasing another chakra shield. Izanagi threw another wind attack, and Sachiko once again flew and fell on her back after the attack penetrated her shield.

“Focus, child!” "I am NOT a child!“ "Then stop acting like one!”

Izanagi then started to make the same hand seals to produce another wind attack, and Sachiko prepared herself to defend against it. Like in the previous tries, the attack again punctured her shield which sent her falling back to the grass.

“We’ve been practicing this technique for months now, and yet you still haven’t mastered the basics, ” Izanagi remarked as Sachiko got back to her feet.

“It takes years for most shinobis to perfect a jutsu. How can you even expect me to learn it in just a few months?” she muttered.

“But you are not like the other shinobis. You are a Chage, and this is a Chage clan technique. This should be natural for you.”

“Maybe if you would stop thinking that this life was for me, then you wouldn’t have so much of a hard time training me. Why not train my sister, Kiko, instead? I bet she would learn it much faster.”

There was a hint of bitterness in Sachiko’s voice. Izanagi stared at Sachiko sternly, quietly. Sachiko glared back, eyes cautious and defiant at the same time. Sighing, Izanagi spoke. “It is not Kiko who inherited the bloodline ability, Sachiko. I don’t have to tell you who did.”

“But I don’t want it! I never asked for it! It’s because of this cursed name that father died, and he didn’t even possess any of it! Not to mention, this shinobi life… I hate it! I never wanted to become one and yet you force me into living this life!”

“You have been chosen to inherit this ability, and you have a responsibility to learn and use it well, whether you like it or not. For your family, and for your village. You can’t choose your life.”

“Oh yeah? Why not?”

“Because that’s the life that’s been given to you. A lot of people would kill to have your talents. Are you just going to throw them away?”

Sachiko pursed her lips, feeling too terrible to even answer him. Izanagi’s eyes softened at Sachiko for a moment. “We can’t choose the life that’s been given to us, Sachiko. But we can choose to live it nobly and make the best out of it. I also didn’t choose to inherit this ability, but because I have it, it’s my responsibility to pass down what I have learned to you – the Will of the Chage Clan and the Will of Fire, as well. In time, you’ll do the same with your own offspring. Do you understand what I’m saying, Sachiko?”

Sachiko continued to remain silent, her glare meeting the ground below her. After a moment of silence, Izanagi spoke, taking his things from the ground. “Let’s pause the training for now. Your mother is waiting for us back home.”

She stood there for a while, fists clenched until she slowly relaxed them. Turning back from her uncle, she started to head out of the woods, her head bowed down, eyes still staring at the ground. “Understood.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!

[Chapter 3 Story Companion/Images](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/632942951509671936/part-1-chapter-3-ahh-youre-actually-on-time)

“Ahh, you’re actually on time today, little missy. I’m impressed.”

Sachiko punched Iruka’s arm, “I told you not to call me "Little Missy”. And for the record, I’m never late.“

"Sure, says the person I had to fetch for her uncle because she had already been an hour late.”

The room was already filling up with people. Ninjas of different ranks, from Chuunins to Jounins, gathered together in groups, chatting as they waited for the Hokage to arrive. The air was filled with different chakras, some from people whose chakras she was already familiar with, and some from people she haven’t met yet. Sachiko tried not to get too overwhelmed by all of them, but focusing only on the ones she was familiar with while searching for people she knew in the room.

Sachiko was a sensory ninja, and that skill came along with her being a Chage. Since the Chage clan’s ability dealt directly with chakra manipulation and control, it was natural for them to also be able to sense a person’s chakra, its nature and its weight. She has encountered different kinds of chakra from different people – all thanks to missions she’s worked in – and has memorized all of them. Apart from sensing chakra, she was also very sensitive to emotion and had an ability of sensing strong emotions from people around her – a rare, personal ability which seemed only she possessed in her family, or in the village.

In the room, she could sense the chakra of her former teammates, Shinta and Hiro, and found them talking in the corner. She concentrated further and felt the chakra of her uncle, her eyes wandering to where he stood and saw him talking to a ninja named Ibiki Morino. She also sensed the chakras of former classmates she went with to the Academy, as well as former teachers and ninjas she went with in missions. Almost everyone she knew was there.

Suddenly, she sensed another chakra entering the room. _Wait, I know this chakra_ , she thought. She concentrated towards where the chakra was coming from and waited for it to settle down. When it did, her eyes wandered to where the bearer of the chakra was, and saw a tall, silver-haired ninja standing across her at other side of the room. Sachiko tried to remember where she sensed that chakra, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t remember also seeing the man’s face before. Not that she really could. It didn’t help that most of his face was covered with a mask, so it was impossible for her to tell.

“Say, Iruka-nii-san. Who’s that tall guy over there?”

Iruka turned to look to where she was pointing. “Who?”

“That guy with the mask and silver hair.” Iruka squinted to where the man in question was standing, and turned to Sachiko, “Ahh, that’s Kakashi Hatake.”

“Who’s he?” Sachiko asked. Iruka blinked at her, “Well, I don’t really know him that much, but I heard he was part of the ANBU before and he’s been assigned as a jounin squad leader. That’s all I really know. Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I think I might have seen him around before.”

“Well, it’s no wonder since you’re both ninjas. And I’m surprised you don’t know him – he’s an elite ninja and almost everybody here knows him. Then again, I think it’s only been more than a year since he was assigned as a regular Jounin, so that’s probably why you didn’t see him that much before.”

Shortly after, the Third Hokage appeared, and everybody settled down. Sachiko couldn’t really focus her attention on the meeting. She kept thinking where she could have sensed that chakra. It would had been easier if she could remember seeing Kakashi’s face, but she couldn’t. Or she didn’t, never had before until now.

When the meeting was adjourned, everybody stood up and started to leave. Sachiko saw Kakashi leaving but was stopped by a shiny-haired ninja with very strong, physical features. As she approached the doorway, she passed by Kakashi and his shiny-haired friend, the distance between them quite close. Suddenly, Sachiko sensed a feeling of deep loneliness hanging around Kakashi as she passed by him. As she left the room, with Kakashi’s chakra slowly fading in her radar, Sachiko wondered if she might have remembered where she had sensed that chakra before, after all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!

[Chapter 4 Story Accompaniment/Images](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633037962110779392/part-1-chapter-4-a-pair-of-feet-lightly-balanced)

_A pair of feet lightly balanced on the post of the bridge’s railings._ Just a little more _, she thought. Both feet hopped and one landed on the post before the last one, with one leg stretched for balance. She smiled in satisfaction._

_It was only a few weeks until the Chuunin exams, and Sachiko had been training rigorously with her uncle, Izanagi. This was her first time to join, and she didn’t know what to expect. To be honest, she really didn’t care that she was a gennin for the rest of her life, but her uncle urged her to take the exams. Her two teammates had already taken it 2 years ago, and they had already passed. Sachiko was supposed to take the exams with them, but Izanagi wanted to make sure that she was ready, so he had her delay for 2 more years.  
_

_She was supposed to meet her uncle later that afternoon for another training session. On her way to the training grounds, she was distracted by the thought of crossing the bridge while balancing herself on the railing posts. She knew she was going to be late again for doing so, but wasn’t this also considered training? To be honest, she hated the thought of wasting her afternoon again for another tiresome training. She thought at that time that stalling training was a good idea, and therefore proceeded to amuse herself._

_Maintaining balance, she hopped onto the next post with her other foot. She lifted the other leg when her weight suddenly shifted to the right, causing her to lose balance. She moved her body to the left, but it was too late – her foot slid from the post she was standing on, and she came falling towards the water beneath her._

_Suddenly, two arms appeared out of nowhere and caught her just before her body hit the water. Shocked for a while, her gaze soon lands on the face of her savior. Only that she couldn’t see his face – the person was wearing a fox mask, and she could only note a mop of thick, silver hair on his head as his distinguishing feature._ An ANBU ninja _, she thought._

_“Are you alright?” asked a man’s voice from behind the mask. He leapt from the water and landed on the ground, setting her down on her feet._

_“Uh-umm, yeah I-I am. T-thank you,” she stammered, still in a bit of shock. “Be careful next time,” the man said, with no hint of emotion in his voice. He turned his back from Sachiko and disappeared immediately._

_Sachiko stared at the ground where the ANBU ninja had been. She didn’t expect that, but had it not been for that man, she would had been no doubt injured and even more delayed with her training. Her shock finally subsided when she remembered having felt that air of profound loneliness when the man held her. It was as if it was enveloping the ANBU ninja, and she had never sensed that in any other person she had met. She wondered what could have caused such deep loneliness in someone, when she remembered that she was supposed to meet her uncle. Running towards the training grounds, she shoved the thought of it in the back of her mind, for a moment forgetting the man who had saved her, and the loneliness he exuded._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> Also, I merged the original Chapters 5 and 6 into one chapter for AO3 since they were originally short.

[Chapter 5 Story Companion/Images 1](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633055217906302976/part-1-chapter-5-sachiko-woke-up-her-eyes)

[Chapter 5 Story Companion/Images 2](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633125266376589312/part-1-chapter-6-she-was-right-she-couldnt)

Sachiko woke up, her eyes adjusting to the darkness in her room. _So it was just a dream_ , she thought. But she knew it wasn’t really a dream – it had really happened 5 years ago. The man who saved her by the bridge was the same man whose familiar chakra she had sensed in the meeting the other day. On top of that, she felt the air of deep, heavy loneliness around both men. All the pieces of the puzzle fitted together.

She shifted to her side and placed her hands under her cheek. Some facts also did fit together. Iruka said that Kakashi used to be part of an ANBU squad, and that the man who had saved her a while back was also an ANBU ninja. _Strange that he should be demoted to a regular jounin position_. She wondered what could have caused him to become part of the regular forces instead. But she guessed what was even more curious was the amount of loneliness he still had even after 5 years. She thought about it for a little more until she fell asleep.

Later in the afternoon, after attending a meeting for a mission, Sachiko was on her way towards her favorite spot by the river when she sensed a hint of a familiar chakra nearby. Quietly, she followed the direction of the chakra. When she was near the source, she hid behind a tree, making sure to maintain a considerable distance so as to not be seen. She moved a bit to look over the tree and saw Kakashi standing before the memorial stone.

 _What’s he doing there?_ she thought. Kakashi was just standing in front of the stone, staring at it. She strained her ear to hear if he was talking, and concentrated to sense what he was feeling, but there was no way to know with the distance between them. Sachiko continued to watch him from afar for a while, until eventually he started walking away.

 _How strange_. She continued to think about him as she walked towards her favorite place by the river. _He gets even more mysterious_. She arrived at her favorite spot and sat against the tree, staring at the river before her. She took her sketchbook and started sketching the view before her, shoving the thought of Kakashi in the back of her mind. She would just ignore it for now, and for sure she’d be able to forget it, like she always did with some of her thoughts. But somehow, she knew well also that she wouldn’t.

____

She was right – she couldn’t forget it. She kept on thinking about him when she was alone. Even during training, her thoughts would wander to Kakashi, causing her to lose focus and receive even more reprimanding from her uncle.

She couldn’t control it. It bothered her that someone who everyone seemed to respect as a fine shinobi would feel this lonely. Shouldn’t he feel happy? Esteemed? She wondered what could have caused such loneliness, and that it should linger for 5 whole years. _Who knows, maybe even more?_ The thought made her restless.

It didn’t help that she sort of developed a habit of following him around in the village. It’s not that she really wanted to; it’s just that she just couldn’t help it. Automatically, her senses would pick up his chakra, and she would follow it to where he was at that time. Often times, she would find him either standing before the memorial stone, or at the cemetery visiting a grave. And she would just stand there somewhere behind a tree, watching him from afar.

It got to the point where she became obsessed about it that she felt she needed to know more about him. When she asked Iruka for more information about him, he just shrugged and told her he doesn’t really have any.

“I don’t know Sachiko-chan. I’m not really close with the guy, you know?” he said, scratching his head. “I told you already what I knew. And he’s 4 years ahead of us in class. We didn’t grow up with him, so how would I know? And besides, why do you want to know, anyway?”

“Huh?! Uhh, nothing! Just curious.” Sachiko muttered, looking away to hide her blush.

But Iruka wasn’t having any of it. He brought his face close to hers, giving her a mischievous grin. “You have a crush on him, don’t you?” he said, his grin widening.

Sachiko felt her face become hot, and she furiously denied it. Iruka laughed, “You’ve been asking me about him since the meeting. I know when you’re interested in someone. Don’t deny it, little missy. I know you very well.”

“I told you I don’t have a crush on him. I’m just a little curious, that’s all.” She knew very well that it wasn’t a crush. She was just intrigued – curious, that was all. She felt her cheeks still hot.

Iruka was laughing. “Whatever you say. Well, come to think of it, I think I remember my parents talking about him when I was younger. Wasn’t his father the White Fang of Konoha? I think I remember them mentioning that Izanagi-san used to be friends with him. You should ask your uncle about him, maybe he knows something.”

——-

Later in the evening, Sachiko found her uncle at their backyard. Her uncle was reading a book when she approached him, and he asked her what was the matter.

Sachiko cleared her throat. “Umm, Uncle Izanagi? There’s something I’d like to ask you, if you don’t mind.” “What is it?” he asked without looking up from his book. “Well, I was wondering if you know, ummm, a certain shinobi named Kakashi Hatake?”

Izanagi stopped reading and looked at Sachiko. “Why are you interested in knowing about him?”

“Ahh! Well, uhhh ummm,” Sachiko racked her brain for excuses. “Well, there are talks that I was going to be assigned to this mission - you see - and I think he is going to be the captain and Iruka told me that you were friends with Kakashi’s father, so I was wondering if you knew anything about –”

“It’s not good to stick your nose in other people’s business. Don’t ever ask me about such a trivial thing again,” Izanagi cut her suddenly and went back to reading his book.

Sachiko was stunned, completely taken aback by her uncle’s sudden coldness on the issue. Deciding not to ask him further about it, she left her uncle to his reading and headed towards her bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she pondered on her uncle’s unexpected reaction and wondered what could have been the cause of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> *Originally Chapter 7 on Tumblr.

[CHAPTER 6 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633214384695607296/part-1-chapter-7-in-the-next-few-days-sachiko)

In the next few days, Sachiko still wondered what could have caused her uncle to react like he did. Maybe Iruka heard it wrong – maybe her uncle wasn’t really friends with Kakashi’s father. Or maybe they had been friends before, but something happened in the past, and it had caused a rift between them. She tried asking her mother about it, but all her mother told her was that her uncle had his reasons, and that she shouldn’t ask him anymore about it.

It was no use to see if her theories were true. The White Fang was already dead, her mother had mentioned, and several years had already passed. Nobody in the village really wanted to talk about it – apparently, it was too painful. Or shameful, she heard her mother mutter to herself. So, one day, she went about looking for Iruka to see if he could remember something more from his parents’ conversation about Kakashi’s father .

She was able to pick up Iruka’s chakra towards the direction of Ichiraku Ramen and headed towards it. As soon as she was near the place, she sensed another chakra inside the shop, right beside Iruka’s. It was bright and warm, Sachiko noted, but then she completely stopped dead in her tracks when she sensed another chakra beside them. It was deep, powerful and _evil_. Preparing to draw out her kunai – very carefully – she entered the shop.

“Oh?” She heard herself mutter.

“Ahh, Sachiko! What are you doing here?” Inside the shop, there were only two people besides the shop owner, Teuchi. Iruka was sitting on one of the stools and beside him was a blonde boy of about eleven. Sachiko darted her eyes everywhere to see if there was anyone else inside the shop, but there wasn’t. Eventually, she realized that the evil chakra she felt was also within that blonde boy. _That boy_ , Sachiko wondered. _Isn’t he that boy?_

The boy looked at Iruka, then at Sachiko, then back at Iruka again. A sly smile crept on his lips. “Say, say, Iruka-sensei. Is she your girlfriend?” Horrified, Iruka reprimands the boy. “Fool! She’s not my girlfriend! She’s my godsister!”

“Huh? What’s a godsister?” The boy asked, scratching his head. Iruka sighed and explained to the boy, but the boy seemed to be even more confused by Iruka’s explanation. Ignoring Iruka, he beamed at Sachiko and introduced himself. “The name’s Naruto Uzumaki, and I’m going to be the next Hokage, ya know!”

“Hehe, just don’t mind his over-enthusiasm. He’s just normally like that,” Iruka scratched his head. “Ahh no, no, it’s totally fine. Pleased to meet you, Naruto. My name’s Sachiko.”

Naruto grinned at Sachiko, then continued to chatter on about becoming the next Hokage as he went back to eating his ramen. _Pretty loud and a little bit annoying_ , Sachiko mused to herself. She liked his cheerful personality though, which was a contrast to the dark, heavy chakra she sensed within him. She wondered what could have made Iruka hang out with the boy, as she knew that the monster within the kid was the reason Iruka’s parents were dead. But Iruka was naturally a kind-hearted, understanding person, and it seemed to Sachiko that Iruka was able to see past the boy’s fate and accept him as he is – a beloved student, a young boy of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Iruka turned to Sachiko, “So what are you doing here? Were you looking for me?”

“Oh! Umm, well I was supposed to ask you something, but now I totally forgot about it. Maybe next time,” she lied. She didn’t feel like asking about the White Fang with the young boy around.

Iruka’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, then he helped himself with another mouthful of noodles. “Sure, you’ll remember it eventually.”

“Yeah,” she replied. _It can wait_ , she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> *Originally Chapter 8 on Tumblr

[CHAPTER 7 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633336252422340608/part-1-chapter-8-she-was-not-able-to-ask-iruka)

She was not able to ask Iruka about it at that time, much to her dismay. Even after their little meeting at Ichiraku Ramen, Iruka had to run back to the Hokage’s office to submit a report. Sachiko decided to wait until evening to ask him, and as she had the whole day left to herself, she headed out to her favorite spot by the river to sketch.

As she passed by the training grounds, Sachiko noticed a young girl standing behind the trees. Curious, she approached the girl, and noticed that she was intently watching someone before her. Sachiko strained her neck to see who it was, and was surprised to see a familiar blonde-haired boy she had met earlier.

 _Naruto?_ Her eyes darted from the blonde boy to the young girl. The young girl still continued to watch Naruto from afar, unaware of Sachiko observing her. Sachiko continued to watch them for a moment, until she headed out towards the river, leaving the two children alone.

In some days, Sachiko would catch the same girl watching Naruto from afar. It did amuse her, but for the most part, it made her curious. What made this girl drawn towards Naruto, she couldn’t understand. She was reminded of herself watching Kakashi, and it sent an unsettling feeling to her stomach. _Seriously Sachiko, who are you to judge?_

She found it endearing, actually. The girl would admire Naruto raptly from afar, oblivious to another presence watching them. Sachiko, too, would become too distracted by the view before her that one day while she was watching them, she didn’t notice she had actually taken a step further towards the girl. Hearing the sound of footsteps, the girl suddenly woke up from her reverie and turned around, finding Sachiko standing a few feet away from her.

“O-ohh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Sachiko blushed. The girl’s face turned a deep shade of red, and hurriedly ran away from Sachiko. Sachiko felt sorry for the girl, and was quite embarrassed that she had interrupted her.

One day, as she was walking along her usual route, she noticed the same girl sitting on a bench. The girl seemed depressed, Sachiko noticed, and she could also sense it from her. The young girl eventually noticed Sachiko and was about to leave, when Sachiko reassured her she meant no harm.

“Oh no, no – it’s alright! I don’t mean any harm. I’m sorry I startled you the other day. I didn’t mean to,” Sachiko smiled at her. The girl stared at her and thought for a minute, and then sat again on the bench.

Sachiko walked towards the bench and sat on the other side. Taking out a box of strawberry daifuku she bought earlier, she took one and offered it to the girl. “You seem a little down. Here, this might help cheer you up,” she smiled at her. The young girl stared at Sachiko before accepting the daifuku, whispering her thanks.

“My name’s Sachiko, by the way. ” “O-ohh, nice to meet you. I’m H-Hinata,” the girl replied. Sachiko took a bite from her daifuku. She noticed Hinata still holding onto hers, her eyes staring at the ground.

“What’s wrong? O-ohh, do you not like sweets? It’s totally okay with me if you don’t eat it. You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she smiled at Hinata reassuringly.

“Ohh! No, I’m grateful for the sweets, t-thank you,” Hinata whispered, her eyes still looking down.

“You seem really down today. Is there anything I can do to help? You can talk to me about it if you want. I’ll listen,” Sachiko smiled, taking another bite of her daifuku.

Hinata looked at Sachiko for a while, and then bowed her head again. “I-I… I feel that I’m too weak to become a shinobi.” Sachiko stopped eating and looked at Hinata. “Why? What made you think of that?”

“W-Well, umm, because my father said so… I-I don’t think I’m living up to his expectations…” Sachiko stared at Hinata , feeling sorry for the girl. She was reminded of her uncle and how he raised and trained her, so she knew how Hinata felt. It seemed that she and the girl have a lot more in common than she thought.

“But…,” Hinata continued, “I want to give my best and prove him wrong. I want to show them that I can be strong and worthy to carry our family’s name… and… and watching _him_ give _his_ best every time… it just inspires me to do my best also…” Hinata’s eyes softened, a blush creeping in her cheeks.

Sachiko was confused at what Hinata had said, when she suddenly remembered seeing Hinata watch Naruto. Hinata continued to muse to herself for a while, until she thought of the same thing and turned to Sachiko with a horrified look on her face.

“Uhh, Sachiko-nee-san (big sister), please don’t tell anyone…!” Hinata pleaded. Sachiko blinked and stared at Hinata, and then smiled at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Hinata. Your secret’s safe with me.” Relieved, Hinata smiled at her and ate the daifuku.

——  
Sensing a familiar chakra, she made a detour towards the direction of it and found herself standing again behind a tree, watching a familiar figure from afar. Kakashi was again standing in front of the memorial stone, head bowed down and shoulders visibly dropped, and he bent down to leave a basket of flowers on the ground. Sachiko continued to watch him intently from afar that she didn’t notice the presence of another chakra behind her until it was too late.

She spun around and saw Hinata staring at her with a confused look. “Umm, Sachiko-neesan?” Her gaze on Sachiko dropped and fell on Kakashi. There was a look of confusion on her face, and she turned to look at Sachiko again. Sachiko quickly turned to look at Kakashi to see if they had been discovered, but Kakashi made no sign of having detected them. After a while, he left the memorial stone and walked in the other direction.

“Umm…” Hinata started. Sachiko turned to Hinata, hiding her mortified look. “Umm, Hinata? Can you keep this a secret, please?” Sachiko smiled and pleaded, hoping Hinata would agree. Hinata continued to stare at her until she nodded her head in agreement, the look of confusion still not leaving her face.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> *Merged chapter for AO3. Originally Chapters 9 and 10 on Tumblr

[CHAPTER 8 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES 1](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633497062551535616/part-1-chapter-9-ughh-whats-taking-him-so)

[CHAPTER 8 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES 2](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633583222936223744/part-1-chapter-10-their-assumption-was-right-as)

“Ughh, what’s taking him so long?”

Sachiko paced back and forth, brows furrowed with her hands on her hips. Her former teammate, Shinta, was supposed to meet them 30 minutes ago. She, along with her former team, had been assigned to a mission and they were supposed to leave that morning.

“Relax, Sachiko-chan. He’ll be here. Although it does seem weird for him to be late, especially since this is his first mission as a Jounin captain.” Her other teammate, a big, tall ninja named Hiro, stretched his arms and let out a big yawn. “I hear we’re getting a medical ninja on our team for this mission. Maybe he also went to get her.”

“Oh right, he’s just been promoted to a Jounin position,” Sachiko remarked. She, Hiro and Shinta had been in the same gennin team under the supervision of her uncle, Izanagi. Shinta was a member of the Hyuuga clan – a powerful, noble clan of the Hidden Leaf Village known for their dojutsu, the Byakugan, and Hiro was part of the Sagara clan. They graduated at the same time from the Academy, but Hiro and Shinta were promoted to Chuunin level before Sachiko was. Sachiko got along with both of them pretty well, but as was inevitable in some teams, always found herself getting into an argument with Hiro. It’s not like she hated him; it was just that Hiro was the type of person who would speak candidly without thinking – usually in Sachiko’s expense, and it drove Sachiko mad. It didn’t also help that Hiro would always try to make advances on Sachiko, which she would always turn down. And yet, even though they didn’t always get along, Hiro respected Sachiko as a shinobi and always looked out for her in their missions.

Shortly after, a tall, dark-haired ninja emerged from the trees and approached the two.“Ahh, sorry we’re late. I was called to a quick emergency meeting with the Hokage. By the way, this is Ara, a medical ninja. She’ll be joining us in our mission.” He introduced the white-haired ninja behind him to his two former teammates.

“Well, it’s not like you’re always late, unlike someone here that we know,” Hiro remarked.

“Excuse me, I got here before Shinta.” Sachiko retorted. “That was just today. But even before, you would always be late to our meetings with Izanagi-sensei. Were you always late because you were fixing your hair for me? Babe, you know I’d still date you even if you were wearing rags – a-ahhh, ahhhhhhhh…” Sachiko gripped his arm tight, glaring at him, “Utter one more word and I swear I’ll suck all of your chakra out of you.”

“Hey, hey! No absorbing of chakras before the mission,” Shinta said. Sachiko glared at Hiro one more time, and then released her grip on him.

Shinta sighed in relief. “Huhh, geez. Okay, so our mission today is to infiltrate a syndicate’s lair and retrieve important documents from them. As much as possible, we don’t want it to become a fight but based on the investigation, it’s not unlikely that they also hired ninjas to protect them. If worse comes to worst, we might need to, but our highest priority is to retrieve the documents and bring them back safely to the village. Did everybody get that?”

The three of them nodded in affirmation, and headed out of the village towards their destination. As they ran, Sachiko noticed faint signs of different chakras on their tail, coming from the direction of the village.

\---

Their assumption was right. As soon as they arrived at the place, Sachiko sensed the presence of two powerful chakras inside the enemy’s hideout, revealing them to be of the two shinobi bodyguards’. After going through the plan, they masked their own chakras and carefully infiltrated the place, and with Shinta’s Byakugan, was able to find the location of the important documents.

As they were about to escape, the two shinobi bodyguards caught up with them and cornered them in a large hall. One of the bodyguards took on Sachiko and Hiro, separating them away from the other two. The enemy attacked them both simultaneously, and the two were having a hard time defending themselves.

“Shit, this guy’s strong,” spat Hiro. “Gee, you think?” Sachiko remarked sarcastically. “Sachiko, we need to split up. I’ll take him head on, while you take him from behind, suck the chakra out of him to slow him down. Then I’ll take him out with one blow.”

“Don’t boss me around.” Sachiko moved away from Hiro as he charged towards the enemy. As Hiro moved towards the enemy, Sachiko appeared behind the enemy and placed her hands on his back. However, as she thought she was able to absorb the enemy’s chakra, the enemy suddenly disappeared, revealing a pile of stone in his place.

“Substitution technique–?!” Suddenly, Sachiko sensed the presence of another chakra in their far left. The enemy had reappeared, and without warning, had sent multiple blades infused with chakra towards their direction. “Look out!” Hiro called out. “Don’t worry, I got it!” Sachiko immediately placed herself in the direction of the attack and released a large chakra shield, bracing herself for the impact.

It all happened too fast. The chakra shield started flickering from Sachiko’s hands until they were no longer able to hold it, causing the shield to fade and vanish. In an instant, as the blades were about to go right through Sachiko, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Sachiko and hurled her backwards towards the ground.

The world slowly turned for Sachiko at that time. She felt the presence of two more chakras enter the room and merge with the chakra of the enemy. Shortly after, the chakra of the enemy diminished, leaving the chakras of the two newcomers in the room.

“Heh, in the end, I got it, huh?” Sachiko snapped out from her shock and turned to the voice of the person on top of her. Hiro moved his head a little and gave Sachiko a distressed smile. “Hiro! What are you–?!”

Carefully, she removed herself beneath Hiro. Just as she was about to rebuke him, her eyes widened in horror as she caught the sight of the chakra blades lodged deep in different parts of his body – on his back, and on his head.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> *Merged chapter for AO3. Originally Chapters 11 and 12 on Tumblr

[CHAPTER 9 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES 1](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633673358832173056/part-1-chapter-11-hiro-why-did-you-the)

[CHAPTER 9 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES 2](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633761318161301504/part-1-chapter-12-they-made-it-to-the-village-at)

“Hiro! Why did you…?!”

The blades pierced through different parts of his body, and he was bleeding profusely. Hiro smiled and managed to wink at her in his pain, “ Well, no way I was gonna let your pretty face get ruined, right?”

Sachiko felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe Hiro had taken the hit for her. If only her chakra shield had worked, none of this would had happened.

Suddenly, the two other chakras appeared beside them. Sachiko looked up and saw they were ANBU ninjas from the Hidden Leaf village. “Where are the other two?” one of them asked. “They’re in the room on the other side of this hall fighting the other ninja,” Sachiko replied. “Please, Hiro is critically wounded. One of them is a medical ninja… please tell her to come quick!!” The two ANBU ninjas disappeared and hurried to where Shinta and Ara was. Sachiko turned to Hiro worriedly.

“Why did you jump in front of me??” Hiro looked at her, breathing heavily. Sachiko continued, “I told you I had it. I didn’t ask you to do that for me!”

“Y-you still don’t understand, d-do you?” Hiro chuckled. “I-I don’t let my c-comrades die, Sachiko. And you were s-so slow w-with your c-chakra shield. W-what the hell was t-that?” Hiro continued to chuckle but choked mid-way, blood spilling out from his mouth.

“B-but I was always h-horrible to y-you. I-I didn’t ask y-you to save me…” Sachiko felt the tears uncontrollably coming now. Hurriedly, she cast the hand signs and proceeded to transfer chakra to Hiro, hoping she could stop the bleeding. But she knew it was no use – it was not medical ninjutsu. Her chakra could only provide stamina for combat and not heal wounds.

“Damn it – work. Come on, work!!” She was already desperate. She didn’t know how to convert her chakra to heal wounds, but she tried to anyway. She focused and imagined her chakra to heal Hiro’s wounds, but it didn’t work. Regret started to cloud her thoughts. If only she had been more serious with training, none of this would have happened… it was all because of her…

Ara and Shinta appeared on their side. “What are you doing??” Ara pushed Sachiko’s hands away and immediately started healing some of Hiro’s wounds. “You can’t just carelessly heal wounds without proper training!”

“I-I’m sorry…” Sachiko trailed off, stifling a sob. She only wanted to help; she only wanted to make things right. _If only…_

Ara continued to close some of Hiro’s wounds, removing some of the chakra blades on his body. “I stopped the bleeding on his wounds, but some of his internal organs were hit. We should take him immediately to Konoha for treatment. I’ll try to provide healing even on the way. Sachiko-san, can you assist and provide me chakra?”

Sachiko nodded, wiping away her tears. Shinta told them they should leave immediately for the village, stating that the mission had been completed. Hurriedly, they left the syndicate’s headquarters, bringing with them an unconscious Hiro.

\---

They made it to the village at dusk, and Hiro was immediately taken to the hospital. After attending to Hiro, the medical ninja-in-charge revealed to them that Hiro was in a critical condition and had to undergo surgery. If it wasn’t for Ara’s intervention, it might had already been too late for Hiro.

Sachiko sat outside the emergency room, feeling distraught. Shinta approached her and sat beside her. “Everything’s going to be alright with Hiro. Don’t worry, Sachiko.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. Tears started to well up in her eyes once more. “It’s all my fault, Shinta, ” she whispered, “I let him get hurt. It’s all because of me.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Sachiko,” Shinta reassured her. “None of this is your fault. In a mission, things like this happen.”

“No, Shinta! It really is my fault!” She sobbed uncontrollably. “ I… I tried to p-protect us with my c-chakra shield, but I f-failed…had I b-been more serious with my t-training and d-duty as a shinobi, none of this w-would have happened… a-and now H-Hiro is on the b-brink of death…”

After being examined for her own bruises and wounds, the doctor advised her that she should go home and rest. There was nothing she could do for Hiro at that time, he told her. The doctors were already doing their best to heal Hiro, and should anything happen, they were to notify her team right away. Sachiko went home that night feeling dazed and distressed.

When she arrived home, she found her uncle waiting for her in the front garden. Avoiding to meet his gaze, she walked past him, her eyes cast down. “I heard about Hiro from Shinta,” he started. Sachiko stopped before the door, her back still turned from him. “I know what you are going to say. I don’t need you to tell it to me.”

She left her uncle and headed towards her bedroom. As soon as the bedroom door closed behind her, she broke down and sobbed bitterly.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes with images. To view the story companion, please click the link below to lead you to the Tumblr page. Thank you!
> 
> *Originally Chapter 13 on Tumblr

[CHAPTER 10 STORY COMPANION/IMAGES](https://between-me-and-you-fic.tumblr.com/post/633963739611283456/part-1-chapter-13-a-few-days-had-passed-and)

A few days had passed, and Hiro was still unconscious. The doctors did everything they could – the surgery was already done – but all they could hope was for Hiro to wake up. He had been put on life support at the moment – the blades had damaged his lungs – and the doctors in-charge still continue to provide healing to his damaged organs in hopes of speeding up his recovery.

The days that passed were excruciating particularly for Sachiko. She continued to blame herself for what happened to Hiro, and none of Shinta’s nor Iruka’s words of comfort made her think otherwise. She resented herself for being too careless, too indifferent – had she been serious with training, had she been serious with her duty as a shinobi, had she understood what it meant to be entrusted with this responsibility… she might have protected them both, and Hiro spared from this.

It didn’t help that she lived under the same roof as her uncle. She felt too guilty and embarrassed to even look at him in the eye. As much as possible, she avoided being in the same room as him, often locking herself up in her room. In the mornings on the way to her missions, she would get up earlier than usual and leave the house before him. She knew exactly what her uncle would say, and she didn’t want to hear it. But Izanagi felt her remorse and understood, and without saying anything to her, left her on her own.

“Have I been too selfish?” She wondered to herself , her back laid on the grass by the river. Her eyes gazed upwards, staring blankly at the clouds slowly drifting above her. Her uncle’s words from their last training kept on playing in her head. She was born into a shinobi family, gifted with the bloodline abilities of her clan. A servant of the village, a protector of its people. But what did it all mean? What did it mean to be a true ninja? What did it _mean_ to belong to this village? What did the village mean to _her_? All the people that ever mattered to her were her family and herself. All that ever mattered to her was her own life. Her own dreams. She never understood the responsibility she carried, and when she was slowly coming to, it seemed all too late.

She got up from the grass and mindlessly wandered around the woods, her mind searching desperately for answers at the same time. _What does this tell me as a person?_ , she thought worriedly. All this time she had misused her talents and neglected her duties, and because of her selfishness, a person close to her had to suffer. All this time people had been reminding her and guiding her, but she had been ignoring them and insisted on doing things she had thought was best. She had let the ghost of her father’s death haunt her and lazily used it as an excuse to justify her apathy towards her duty… towards protecting and helping the people who needed her, who needed her talents. She was a _horrible_ person. She felt terrible at the thought, and tried to brush it away, but it insisted and dragged her deeper into her depression. She continued to feel this way as her feet led her towards the direction of a familiar place, her senses automatically picking up a familiar chakra.

It wasn’t long before she realized her feet had led her towards the memorial stone. Hiding behind the tree, she moved her body a little bit to see a familiar silver-haired jounin standing in front of three children. She recognized one of them as Naruto, tied to one of the training logs, and standing on both sides were a young boy with black hair and a young girl with pink hair. Naruto was shouting at Kakashi, with the two other children facing him in a defensive stance. Kakashi didn’t seem at all perturbed by it, and unexpectedly, he threw a thumbs-up sign at them and smiled, “You pass!”

The three gennin children stared at him in disbelief and confusion. Sachiko curiously strained her head a little and continued to watch them. Still smiling at them, Kakashi continued, “A true ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are called scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.”

 _Worse than scum_ , Sachiko reflected on his words as she trudged on. She had abandoned her friends by neglecting her duties as a ninja. She only thought of herself; she didn’t care about them nor the village. All her life she despised the life that she was born into that she didn’t acknowledge her talents and work hard enough to protect her family, her friends. And they were part of this community, this little village of the Hidden Leaf, and because of her pride and apathy, she had abandoned the village. She had abandoned _them_ – her family, her friends. _She_ was worse than scum. And if only…

 _No,this shouldn’t go on_. A strong emotion suddenly surged inside of her, taking hold of her. No, she didn’t want to be worse than scum, not anymore. She had found the answers she was looking for, and it gave hope and a sense of purpose to her heart.

She was no longer going to run away from her life. When she got home, she immediately went looking for her uncle and found him in the garden. Just as she was about to ask him, her uncle interrupted her with a look of relief on his face.

“I have some good news, Sachiko. The hospital called and told me that Hiro had just woken up and is doing well.”

Sachiko stared at her uncle in disbelief, which slowly turned into pure joy. She sighed in relief and couldn’t help but shed tears. Hiro was no longer in danger; he was going to be okay. Her uncle silently let her cry for a while, until she was done and wiped the tears from her eyes. “What was it that you wanted to ask me, Sachiko?” Her uncle finally asked her.

“Uncle,” she smiled, “I want to continue my training as soon as possible, if that’s okay with you.”

Izanagi stared at her for a moment, until he nodded lightly in satisfaction, a small smile playing on his lips. Sachiko smiled back and went upstairs to her bedroom. She had decided to face this life she had been given, and work towards her dream at the same time. Maybe, in time, when all things had worked out, she would be able to pursue her dream full-time but for that moment, her family, her friends and the whole village would need her help first. Maybe that was what being a true ninja meant. As she entered her room, Kakashi’s words echoed in her head. She smiled to herself, knowing fully well they would be etched in both her heart and mind for quite some time.

**END OF PART 1**


End file.
